The NFL is in the process of committing suicide. To me, football is the greatest sport ever invented in the history of the world, and as a lifelong NFL fan it greatly saddens me to watch a game that I love being dragged through the mud. No matter how powerful the NFL may think that it is, there is no possible way that it can go to war with the national anthem and the American flag and come out as a winner. All over the country Americans are turning off their televisions and burning their jerseys, and the longer these kinds of “protests” continue, the worse it is going to get for the league.

Already television ratings are falling significantly, and one survey has found that the NFL’s net favorability rating has dropped nearly in half…

NFL’s Brand Favorability Drops To Lowest Point Since Morning Consult Started Tracking: The NFL’s net favorability has dropped from 30% on September 21 to 17% on September 28.

On September 21, 25% of Trump supporters said they had a very favorable view of the NFL and 11% had a very unfavorable view.

As of Sept 28, those numbers have dramatically changed with 33% of Trump supporters say they have a very unfavorable view of the NFL and 16% report having a very favorable view.

When someone chooses to disrespect the anthem or the flag, they are disrespecting the entire country. And as I have discussed previously, it was inevitable that young people would start to copy the disgusting behavior of their NFL heroes. For example, it is being reported that a 6-year-old boy down in Florida decided to kneel during the Pledge of Allegiance in front of his entire class at school…

A Florida elementary school is under fire from one parent who says her son — who knelt during his class’s Pledge of Allegiance — was scolded and stripped of his First Amendment rights.

Eugenia McDowell’s son, a 6-year-old student at Wiregrass Elementary School in Pasco County, took a knee during his classroom’s Pledge of Allegiance on Monday, one day after hundreds of NFL players knelt or stood and linked arms following President Trump’s criticism of players who protest during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“He was influenced by what he saw over the weekend, the conversations we were having,” McDowell told FOX13 of her son’s actions.

Surely that 6-year-old does not understand that he is disrespecting every American that has ever fought, bled and died for our country. He just saw NFL players on television doing it, and he decided to copy them.

In the old days, NFL players never would have been allowed to engage in such a shameful display, and some former NFL greats are starting to speak out about this. One of them is John Elway…

John Elway, a two-time Super Bowl quarterback champion and now the vice president of operations for the Denver Broncos, issued a statement about the NFL protests saying that it’s time to “take the politics out of football,” and that he is “one that believes in standing for the National Anthem” and that he also believes America “is the greatest country in the world.”

“I’m one that believes in standing for the National Anthem, and I’ve always believed that,” said Elway in the statement, which he tweeted on Sept. 26. “I believe this is the greatest country in the world.”

Ditka, a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, said, “I think it’s a problem when anybody who disrespects this country and the flag. If they don’t like the country, they don’t like our flag, get the Hell out! That’s what I think.”

“So, if you’re asking me, I have no respect for Colin Kaepernick,” said Ditka. “He probably has no respect for me. That’s his choice.”

Yes, NFL owners, coaches and players can choose to do whatever they want during the anthem.

But we can also choose how we are going to respond to their shameful behavior.

Mark Shane organized the event at his Gardners Neck Road home after about 20 members of the team took a knee during the national anthem before Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.

Shane says he was “shocked” that the Patriots protested and said they “always stayed above this kind of nonsense.”

More than 100 people turned out to support Shane and show their frustration with professional athletes who are kneeling during the national anthem. They sang America the Beautiful and said the Pledge of Allegiance as they tossed Patriots gear into the fire in protest.

Fortunately, some teams out there are starting to get the message.

For example, Maurkice Pouncey of the Pittsburgh Steelers is promising that his entire team will be standing for the anthem this week…

“I promise you one thing, this week we will all be standing out there for the national anthem. Trust me,” Pouncey said Wednesday.

Pouncey says he expects the entire team to be on the field for the anthem.

“As far as I know it’s 100 percent participation,” Pouncey told reporters. “We love this country. It’s America. We know there are injustice in this world, but to me, personally, football is football and that’s what we need to approach it as.”

But other teams have indicated that they plan to continue to kneel.

Any owner, coach or player that chooses to publicly disrespect the national anthem or the American flag on national television is bringing great shame upon themselves, their teams and their communities.

They can certainly do whatever they want, but we don’t have to watch it, and their incredibly bloated salaries are dependent on our support.